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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. capital — a city
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. capital — money
  5. club — for golf
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. court — for sport
  9. scale — in music
  10. suit — in cards
  11. court — of a king
  12. club — a group
  13. current — happening now
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. suit — clothes
  16. club — for dancing
  17. current — of water
  18. scale — size or range
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. current — electric
  22. court — of law
  23. suit — to fit
  24. capital — a big letter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com